2014 Hall of Shame

In 2013, the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill with bipartisan support. In the past year, these ten members of Congress have done everything they could to obstruct the reform the country needs.

1. Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) is back at the top of our list for the second year in a row. In addition to standing by his 2013 comment that undocumented immigrants "have calves the size of cantaloupes," King also stated this year that undocumented immigrants wanting to join the military were "defrauding" the government. He also claimed that the presence of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. would lead to more American deaths.

2. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)

As one of the most vocal opponents of immigration reform, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) has led the charge against citizenship. In July, he killed the Senate Democrats' supplemental funding bill for border security. In addition, he claims that Obama's executive actions on immigration will "incentivize a tsunami of illegal activity" and that "illegal workers will be instantly allowed to take precious jobs directly from struggling Americans in every occupation in America."

3. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Another recurring member in our Hall of Shame, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has had another strong year of anti-immigration rhetoric. This year, she claimed that undocumented immigrants were waging a "war against the American people" and stated that they were leading to an increase in gangs.

4. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) will do just about anything to halt immigration reform. This year, he promised to vote against any reform bill that did not overturn President Obama’s DACA executive action. He also led the charge against Boehner’s immigration bill in July by rallying House conservatives to deprive him of a majority. To top it all off, Cruz has repeatedly stated that he will reject any pathway to citizenship.

5. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) has made a name for herself in the House for her opposition to immigration reform as a member of the Immigration Reform Caucus, which is dedicated to strong enforcement of immigration laws and securing the border. She was the sole sponsor of H.R. 5272, which disallows deferment of deportation for lowest risk undocumented immigrants, including DREAMers.

6. Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI)

Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI) has used the humanitarian crisis of children fleeing Central America as an opportunity to use scare tactics about "illegals" destroying the middle class. She didn't stop there. At a House Homeland Security Committee meeting in June said the U.S. should stop all aid to the Central American countries that children are coming from. She also called a White House ceremony celebrating young, successful immigrants brought to the U.S. as children by undocumented parents. "The sad truth," Miller said, "is that most of the children being smuggled across the border today, in unprecedented numbers, will not have similar success stories." Not with politicians like her in charge.

7. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL)

The same guy who said that Democrats were waging a “war on whites,” Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) claims that DREAMers and other undocumented immigrants should not be allowed to join the military. He warned about the potential dangers of undocumented immigrants joining under the ENLIST Act in July, stating “these individuals have to be absolutely 100 percent loyal and trustworthy, as best as we can make them, 'cause they're gonna have access to all sorts of military weaponry...”

8. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) recently likened the refugee crisis to an “invasion” and compared the women and children refugees seeking protection inside the U.S. to “soldiers invading France during WWII.” As if these comments weren’t enraging enough, he also warned that immigrant children might be carrying unknown diseases into the U.S.

9. Sen. David Vitter (R-LA)

After tweeting “enough is enough” and that he wanted to "get illegal aliens on the next plane home" in July, Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) introduced legislation that would freeze the inflow of unaccompanied children into the U.S. and implement mandatory detention and expedited removal.

10. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)

After yelling at an 18-year-old, undocumented college student in his office last year and telling her, “…you know, I love Mexicans, but I hate illegals,” Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) is at it again. This year, he claimed that President Obama is “dedicated to the well-being of the people who are here in our country illegally…instead of watching out for the interests of the American people.” He introduced the No Health Care Subsidies for Illegal Immigrants Act and co-sponsored bills to end birthright citizenship.